


The Lost Boy

by Sterling_Jay



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, F/F, Librarian Kara, Library AU, Mentions of Panic Attacks, Pre-Relationship, Reporter Cat Grant, Younger Cat Grant, no powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-14
Updated: 2016-12-14
Packaged: 2018-09-08 11:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8842735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sterling_Jay/pseuds/Sterling_Jay
Summary: Trib reporter Cat Grant is at the library doing research for her first non-fashion column article when Carter gets lost from the children's section. She goes on a frantic search for him through the library, only to find him safe and sound with one of the very cute librarians.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [magicsophicorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicsophicorn/gifts).



Cat Grant, ace reporter, investigative journalist, CEO...no such thing.

Yet.

Cat Grant, former fashion columnist, single mother and 'contributor' to the city's 75th birthday memorial in an upcoming paper of The Trib (which she swears she'll own one day)? Much more accurate.

By 'contributor', that of course means that she's doing all the historical legwork at the library to get the microfiche, to read all the old newspapers she possibly can, to get all the 'big events' into a list, and it means she's writing the article- and whoever else there is, is above her, going to do the editing, and take all the credit.

The only good part to it all- other than finally having her name on something other than Top Ten Fashion Don'ts - is the fact that she's allowed to have Carter with her while she does the research. If not in the room with her and the aged and delicate papers, he still gets to sit in the children's area just one floor above her and be read to in the quiet room, close enough for her to visit when her eyes have glazed over from reading one too many editorials in the dim lighting.

Except, when she goes upstairs, the room is, as hasn't happened in the three days they've been in before, filled to the brim with loud, screaming children. And Carter isn't in his usual place, the three librarian assistants running from one child to another, and with her heart pounding, she walks to the front desk, thankfully located right near the only door Carter could possibly leave through, the fire door in the back far too heavy.

"Have you seen my son?" and she's pulling her phone from her pocket to show the desk clerks when one of the men makes a pithy 'Finding Nemo' reference at her. The only reason she'd seen the movie was that Carter had wanted to see it.

"My son has gone missing from your children's section," she says venomously, looming over the clerk. "He was under the supervision of your librarians, and if I don't find him happy and unharmed in the next ten minutes, I will be calling the police to track him down, and then writing an exposé on your incompetence and sheer lack of concern over his disappearance. So I'll ask you again," and she slammed her phone on the counter in front of them, "Have. You. Seen. My. Son."

"N-no, Miss Grant, we haven't," he says, sharing a look with the other to confirm. "We'll guard the doors and," he looked lost.

"And you'll call upstairs to all four floors of this library to make them all aware that my son has gone missing so that they're on the lookout for him." She crossed her arms, heart in her throat. "I'll be searching each floor myself until he's found. Give me paper." She snatched it from the man's hands, writing on it quickly before throwing it back to him. "That's my cell phone number. As soon as he's found, I expect a call."

She stalked off, gratified to see the second clerk running towards the fire door to block it, the first already making the call to the other floors.

A quick run around the basement confirms what she already knew- Carter wasn't there, likely hadn't gone there because she'd asked him not to, unless it was an emergency.

She searched the ground floor with no luck, glaring at the three careless librarians as she passed them to go for the stairs. They'd known Carter's aversion to loud noise, she'd repeatedly told them, requested if there was a large group coming in, or if he'd started to seem overwhelmed, someone should go get her, and she'd be there in a hot second.

Instead...

She shook her head, returning her full focus to the second floor, full of dusty old reference books that she was positive hadn't been opened since they first arrived in front, adult literature and fiction sitting further back. She circled the room with intent, getting just a head shake from the old man in charge of the floor when she asked if he'd seen Carter.

A glance at her silent phone, and she headed to the third floor, feeling the worry creeping up on her.

Computers from one end of the room to the other, multiple study rooms against three walls, and still no sign of Carter under the desks or in any of the dark corners, the computer geeks apologizing for not having seen him. She waved them off and turned around.

She took a deep breath as she looked up at the stairs to the final floor. She hoped desperately that Carter was up there, that he hadn't somehow snuck past the two clerks on the ground floor- there was always a chance that he had, but she held onto her hope and climbed.

There was a quiet murmur of voices somewhere on the floor and Cat paced towards the sound. The other librarians had all been sitting at their circulation desks near the stairs, immediately greeting her when she arrived on their floor. This one hadn't.

The young adult section flew by her until she made it to the far back corner, seeing a young woman with a ponytail and cardigan sitting on a beanbag chair, a tall lamp illuminating her in the dimmed space. She gestured grandly, her voice quiet but excited, giving the story an almost musical quality as she read it aloud, and as Cat walked closer, she finally saw that head of curly hair. There was Carter, sunk into his own beanbag chair, a blanket around him, knees tucked close to his chest and the head of a plushie peeking out from under the blanket.

"Carter!"

He turned his head, not speaking, but his eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

"Carter," and she let a relieved smile break out onto her face as she kneeled in front of him, her hands halfway going to his face, to pet through his hair, stopping just before. As loud as the children's section had been, she was sure he'd been overwhelmed and came up here, as far away as possible to escape the noise.

"I like your name, buddy. Carter." The young woman smiled at her son. "It suits you." Carter gave her a hint of a smile, and she beamed back at him.

"Carter?" He turned to look at Cat. "Will you be alright here for a moment? I need to talk to Miss..."

"Danvers. Kara Danvers." She stuck out a hand for Cat to shake, quickly dropping it at the look on Cat's face.

Carter gave a nod, reaching his arms out for Cat without getting up. She leaned into the hug, letting go as soon as he did, blinking when she heard his small voice.

"Kara's nice."

And then he was back in his shell, blanket around him and plush in his lap.

Cat dusted off her slacks and followed Kara to the circulation desk, quickly rounding on the other woman.

"I gave the gentlemen downstairs strict orders to have someone call me when someone found my son. Why didn't you?"

"...found? Carter was lost?"

"Yes, he was lost, he was supposed to be in the children's area, and when I came up to look for him, he was gone," Cat choked on a sob, Kara's arms going around her, holding her tight.

"It's okay, it's alright, he's here," she rubbed at Cat's back comfortingly, guiding her to where she could see Carter where he was still sitting, flipping through one of the large picture books Kara had given him.

Cat took a deep breath and then backed away, Kara's arms feeling empty without the smaller woman wrapped in them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know he wasn't supposed to be up here. My phone's broken," she waved at the frayed wire, "and I've told Caleb to call me on my cell until it gets fixed, but he probably forgot." She offered Cat a tissue. "Can I assume that the rest of the floors are on high alert for him right now?"

Cat gave a sharp nod, wiping her eyes.

"Let me just call them so they can stand down. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."

She took in the scene in front of her again, Carter sitting ensconced in the beanbag chair, the dimmed lighting all around him, the quiet, unobtrusive music she hadn't noticed the first time around. It was basically his anxiety corner at home, minus his headphones and stress balls.

Kara walked back over to her, phone going back in her pocket.

"How did you know to do all of this," she asked, nodding towards Carter, "how did you know this was what he needed?"

The librarian was quiet for a moment, considering her words. "I," and then she fumbled with her glasses, unable to continue. The way she'd said that one word was so significant, that Cat knew it was something she herself had used before, that Kara'd been through her own share of panic or anxiety, and she nodded.

"It was too loud for him down there. Overwhelming. Thank you."

Kara nodded, still fidgeting.

"He's welcome to come up here whenever he likes. They don't usually let me around the little ones, but-"

"They don't?" Cat stared sharply at her. "Why?"

"I'm," she laughed nervously, "I'm kind of a huge pushover? I used to work in the children's section, and they told me to give a lollipop to the kids if they ever started crying. You wouldn't believe how many times I got tricked by crocodile tears before they decided I'd be better off up here."

"A pushover, hm?" She gave Kara a onceover, not bothering to hide it. Beautiful, even if her wardrobe needed some work, shy in a genuine but endearing way, but obviously not as much of a pushover as she'd insinuated to Cat, based on the fact that she hadn't cowered from Cat's glares like her coworkers had. And best of all, Carter liked her.

"Well. Perhaps I could convince you to come to dinner with us later? As a thank you, for taking care of Carter?"

"Oh! Well." She blushed. "It was nothing. And I wouldn't want to intrude..."

"You wouldn't be intruding, since I just invited you." She stuck out her hand. "Give me your phone so I can text you the details." Kara looked between her face and her open hand. "Please, Kara?"

Kara happily handed over the phone.

**Author's Note:**

> Random trivia: Levi Miller, the kid who plays Carter Grant, actually played Peter Pan in the 2015 movie Pan.
> 
> I'm jesswritingsome on tumblr, feel free to stop in and say hi.


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